1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to the accommodation of excess optical fiber length in an optical fiber harness.
2. Description of Related Art
In optical fiber systems for controlling components of aircraft or automobiles, or for other types of equipment, it is desirable to group a number of optical fibers in a harness assembly. This offers advantages in production, installation and maintenance, as well as affording protection to the fibers under service conditions. However, in a harness system, the conduit that receives the optical fibers cannot be made the same length as that of the fibers. This is because the conduit will stretch under tension, which occurs during installation or at times of repair or maintenance. The optical fibers must be made at least as long as the dimension the conduit will assume when under a tensile load. However, when there is no tension on the conduit, as during normal service, the length of the conduit decreases meaning that there is an excess length of the optical fibers In the past these fibers simply have been pushed down inside the conduit in the hope that they will coil evenly in the process. However, this cannot be assured and in some instances the fibers can be caused to kink or to be bent to an excessively small radius. This can damage the fibers or cause excessive attenuation of the light signal transmitted by them. Hence, there has been an acute need for an arrangement to accommodate the excess length of optical fibers in an optical fiber harness system without damaging the fibers or creating unacceptable optical losses.